Motorcycle rider dies at hospital following accident

MARTINSBURG, W.VA. - Before heading to the gym on his motorcycle Wednesday morning, Danny Kneisly, 43, had breakfast with his wife Jeannie - his high school sweetheart - and kissed her goodbye, a family friend said.

It was their last moment together. Shortly afterward, Kneisly was severely injured when his motorcycle was involved in an accident, said Lisa Hess, a friend of the couple.

Although he was rushed to City Hospital, Kneisly died about 30 minutes after the 8:43 a.m. collision, said Deputy Tom Carroll with the Berkeley County Sheriff's Department.

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Kneisly, who lived in the area of Arden, W.Va., was wearing a helmet, police said.

Hess said Kneisly was kind and quiet, a man who loved to hunt and fish and planned to build a home in the mountains.

"Every time you looked at him, he had a smile on his face," Hess said. Along with his wife of 25 years, Kneisly leaves three grown sons.

He worked at the Winchester, Va., production plant for Trex Co. Inc., which makes decking and railing materials from plastic and waste wood.

Hess said that after church every Sunday morning, Kneisly and a group of friends would meet to go on a motorcycle ride.

"We're just all a tightknit group of friends. It's like a family. He's like a brother," Hess said. "Everybody's just devastated."

The accident happened at the entrance of Arden Equipment Repair Inc. on Tabler Station Road.

Eugene Lasecki, 72, of Martinsburg, was driving a 1989 Ford Ranger east on Tabler Station Road. When Lasecki started to turn into the business' parking lot, he hit Kneisly's 2000 Harley-Davidson motorcycle, which was heading west, Carroll alleged.

Lasecki, who was charged with failure to yield the right of way, said he did not see the motorcycle, Carroll said.

Lasecki was not injured.

Tabler Station Road was closed for a few minutes while the motorcycle and truck were removed from the road, Carroll said.